1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to computer-based virtual worlds, and more particularly, to navigation and interaction in computer-based virtual worlds implemented as a metaphor for real-world meeting places.
2. Description of Background
The existence of an environment where people can have and share experiences is acknowledged as a primary requirement for effective communication and collaboration. Thus, collaboration in the real world typically occurs at specific locations at which people can see and hear each other, and thereby can communicate. The physical locations where people meet have boundaries (for example, walls) that separate the locations from one another. These boundaries server to limit what people can see and hear, and therefore allows these locations to provide a means to structure collaboration. Physical locations can also provide a means to structure information. Information objects such as books, notes, and presentations can be placed in a location and arranged in sublocations to enable people to find and organize specific information. Furthermore, physical locations can be designed for specific types of work or collaboration. For example, an individual's office is designed for individual work, while a conference room is designed for cooperative work among multiple participants.
The development of computer-mediated communication has created potential for people to collaborate and interact with others in new ways. For example, a collaborative virtual environment (CVE) is a computer-based, distributed, virtual space where people can meet and interact with other, with agents, or with virtual objects. CVEs are implemented to reflect real world interaction by providing a text-based system for interaction or a two or three-dimensional graphical virtual world that is visualized for virtual interaction. Virtual worlds are built on coding protocols that use the metaphor of an imaginary place or the real world without its physical limitations to define what can and cannot be done. A virtual world can be represented using graphics, images, video, force feedback, and audio data to define a representation of a place that can be accessed by one or more users within a distributed computer system. Typically, the virtual world enables multiple users to simultaneously perceive and interact with the virtual world and with each other through different computers that are connected by a network. For example, virtual communities such as Linden Lab's “Second Life” provide a three-dimensional, persistent virtual world in which users interact with each other (socially and economically), the local environment, and with software agents using virtual characters in a cyber space. The degree of interaction between the users and the virtual world is implemented by one or more computer applications that govern such interactions as simulated physics, exchange of information between players, and the like.
User participation in a virtual world can be driven by, for example, social, educational, and business motivations. While virtual worlds have primarily been adopted to offer a new spaces for promoting socialization, they have also exhibited potential to support collaboration by providing new ways to communicate and increasing the awareness of the participants and available resources, without the physical space and time constraints of the real world. For example, while an individual who is geographically distant from a location where an impromptu conference is being held would be physically unable to attend to conference (for example, the individual may be an employee at an off-site location or a satellite office), this individual would be able to participate in such a conference were it held in a virtual world via a network. Nevertheless, the limitations of the provided for virtual communication may still prevent this individual from sharing physical information objects such as notes, papers, and presentations with the other participants. Therefore, while virtual worlds provide a mechanism through which better and more effective collaboration can be enabled by providing new ways for people to interact and communicate, the nature of the interactions between users in a virtual world is limited by the constraints of the system implementing the virtual world.
Accordingly, it desirable to implement information and communication technologies to support large-scale, distributed enterprises to improve the efficiency and quality of collaboration, communication, and information gathering and dissemination.